Caught by the Belly Trap

by K A Belle

  “Beau?” I said quietly. He stopped moving and gave me his full attention. I smiled at him. “It’s okay.” His expression called me a liar. “Fine. The situation was wrong and fucked up. It was ten years ago. We can’t change it.”

  “I’m sorry it h-happened to you.”

  “Thank you.” I blinked back tears. It wasn’t the first time someone apologized for how we’d been treated by those who were supposed to love us. However, it was the first time in our life we’d been able to be honest about why our family abandoned us. It was nice to be heard. Better still. Cat and I were able to share our traumatic experience with our mate.

  “What’s a famous guy like you doing in Maysville?”

  “The owner of the comic book store in town is a fan. He contacted my agent about doing a signing. I like to support independent bookstores. I’ve never been this far east, so I figured what the hell. I’m glad I chose to come here.”

  I studied him for a moment while I tried to decide how to broach the subject of Beau’s earlier reaction and fear. I understood anger at finding a strange naked man in your bed. His utter shock to my shift, also normal. But to be completely convinced you were hallucinating? There was a story there that needed to be addressed.

  “Just ask him. He’s our mate. We need to know so we can help.”

  “Agreed. We need to lay all our cards on the table and that includes Beau.”

  I took a deep breath then asked my mate, “Why were you so convinced I wasn’t real? You were certain you were seeing things.”

  Chapter 6

  beau

  I crossed my arms over my chest and lashed out. “B-besides the obvious fact people aren’t supposed to turn into animals. Fucking s-strange don’t you think?”

  I recognized the maneuver for what it was: self-protection. Years of therapy taught me how to recognize and cope with anxiety and stress in healthy ways. Sometimes I fell back on old habits, okay most of the time I did. Like just now.

  “Yes, besides that. One person’s strange is another person’s normal.”

  I didn’t want to talk about the accident. I hated reliving it and all the ways it changed me. I studied Colby as he patiently waited for me to get my shit together. There wasn’t an ounce of malice or pity in his expression. In fact, I only saw concern. My instinct was to alleviate his worry. Weird.

  Might as well get it over with. Then, perhaps we can move on from that whole mate business. No way that was happening.

  “I used to be in the m-military. Captain Beau Madigan, US Army Helicopter Pilot at your service.” I dipped my head in a slight bow. “During m-my tours in the Middle East, I flew c-countless rescue missions into some precarious situations. Still, I made it out without a s-scratch. Come home. And bam.” I slapped my hands together. “T-training accident. Mechanical failure resulted in a crash landing. I ended up h-hurt pretty badly. Blunt force injury and shrapnel resulted in a TBI and facial scarring. As you can see, I’m b-blind in my right eye. I have other scars too, but my head took the brunt. S-somehow, I lost my helmet. Freak thing. B-because of the impact, maybe. Not sure. Bad news. I had to take a m-medical discharge. Good news. N-nobody died.”

  “How long ago was the accident?”

  “Almost four years.”

  “TBI. That’s stands for traumatic brain injury, right?”

  I nodded and joined him on the sofa. “I was p-placed in a medically induced coma for a few weeks. From w-w-what I understand it took another couple of weeks for me to wake fully. I had to relearn how to feed myself, t-talk, and function partially blind. Honestly, learning to cope with fucked up depth perception was the h-hardest. I had perfect vision before the accident. M-my stutter is a-annoying and e-e-embarrassing at times. Although it’s not as…as bad as it was a y-y-year ago. The memory blips sucked. S-still do. My memory will never be what it was. I’ve found ways to manage it though with c-calendar reminders and post-it notes.”

  “Anyway, during the fir…first months of my recovery I would often see things that w-weren’t there. People. Animals. Shadows. The doctors explained it as my b-brain rewiring itself for a new normal. I think they were making it up because it was a p-p-plausible explanation. We don’t know enough about the brain so maybe they were right. It sounded like bull-bullshit to me. With medication and time, the ap-apparitions rarely happen now.”

  “I’m so sorry, Beau. I never meant to freak you out and make you think you were losing your grip on reality. I would have shifted back had I realized you were awake. You’re great at that whole playing possum thing.”

  I grinned. It was nice to know I still had skills. “Part of my military training. We n-needed to be aware of our s-s-surroundings at all times. I learned how to assess and not moo-move until I was sure it was safe.”

  “You’ll always be safe with me. We’re mates.”

  “We should d-discuss that.” I rubbed the back of my neck. I didn’t want to hurt the guy or make him think I didn’t want him. Because, damn I sure as hell did. I wasn’t the man for him. I wasn’t the man for anyone. I had too many issues.

  “There is no discussing it I’m afraid.” The stubborn tilt of his chin and tone told me he was digging his heels in. “We’re mates. Mated. Well half mated.”

  “What does half-mated mean?”

  “When Cat bit you last night he pierced your skin.”

  “And?”

  “When shifters claim a mate, we bite them drawing our mate’s essence into ourselves and marking them so others will know they are claimed. Since you are human, you claim me through sex. Your cum marks me. My scent will change into a mixture of my personal smell and yours. The change warns other shifters that I have been claimed even though I don’t wear a mark.”

  “You m-marked me?”

  “A little. It would have been fine if we hadn’t drawn blood. It wasn’t intentional. We would never have claimed you without your consent, but you touched our belly and Cat reacted on instinct. The stomach area is strictly off limits. Cats act like they want you to pet them there, they really don’t. The belly trap is a game with only one winner. The cat.”

  “So, I was what? Caught by the b-belly trap?”

  “Unfortunately. Yes.” Colby sucked on his lower lip. “Cat didn’t mean to, I swear.”

  “You talk about him as if he’s another person.”

  “In a way, he is. He’s the other half of me. A constant presence in my mind.” He paused for a moment as if to align his thoughts. “I am Cat and Cat is me. Even in cat form I retain my humanity. My instincts and senses are stronger in cat form. Regardless, whether we are walking on two legs or four, there is always a part of us present.”

  It sounded crazy, yet amazing. “You’re like your own b-best friend.”

  “In a way. If best friends can be lonely when they're together.”

  I hated the idea of Colby being alone and fending for himself. I wanted five minutes with his parents to show them the error of their ways. I didn’t understand how parents could turn their backs on their child. My mom and dad were wonderful. They didn’t bat an eye when I came out at fourteen. They supported me through every triumph and tragedy in my life. I don’t know what I would have done without them after the accident. Hell, I had to force them to go home to Florida. They were almost too supportive.

  I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice Colby had moved until he straddled my lap. He placed his hands on my shoulders and smiled down at me. “Now that we’ve found our mate, that will all change. We will never be alone again. If you’ll have us.” He grimaced as if uttering those last words was painful.

  I hated dousing the guarded hope in his eyes. But, one of us had to be realistic.

  Chapter 7

  colby

  “T-this isn’t a good idea.”

  Beau gripped my hips and attempted to move me off his lap. I curled my fingers into his shirt and held tight. If he thought I would be easily dissuaded, he had another thin
g coming. I’d fight tooth and claw to keep my mate. I was a lot tougher and stronger than I looked.

  “You d-don’t want to saddle yourself with me, Colby.”

  I cupped his cheek. “You’re our mate. You were made for us. You are a gift. Cat and I have not been saddled with you, Beau Madigan. We have been blessed with you.” To prove my point, I leaned down and pressed my lips to Beau’s. I pulled back. A frown still marred my mate’s beautiful face. I wanted to scream. He was so damn hardheaded.

  “I-I have a lot of issues. You should find s-someone else.” He huffed a breath. “L-listen to me. D-do you want to hear this s-stupid stutter for the rest of your life?”

  “You stutter. I cough up the occasional hairball. We all have our issues.”

  “D-don’t make fun.”

  “I wasn’t. It was my poor attempt at injecting a bit of humor into the situation. I noticed the more agitated you are the more pronounced your stutter. I was trying to help. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t make light of something you see as an issue.”

  He nodded, and the tension left his shoulders. “Thank you. S-still not good for you.”

  “You are missing the point. You are it for us. There is no one else. You can send us away. You can deny our mating and move on. You can live your life as though we never met. We can’t. I’m not telling you this to guilt you into accepting us. I only want you to understand. You are the other half of our soul. We are so happy to have found you. You, Beau Madigan. You are strong, kind, and beautiful.”

  He shook his head and looked away. “No.”

  I pulled his head back around and held his face between my hands forcing him to look at me. The only way he could get away was to fight me off. I knew my mate would never hurt us. “Yes. You are beautiful.”

  “S-stop saying I’m beautiful,” he growled.

  “Sorry. I can’t. I think you’re extraordinary.”

  “Because some m-mystic voo-voodoo magic says you should. Not your own f-free will.”

  “No. That’s not how it works. Claiming you as our mate didn’t turn us dumb. If you were an abusive asshole, mate or not, we would run far and fast. We’d rather live a half-life than be tied to someone like that. Cat and I both thought you were the most gorgeous man we’d ever seen before we realized who you were to us. When you peered under the dumpster and we saw your face, our first thought was, Wow. He’s hot.”

  Beau grunted. He reached up and touched his scar then his eye. “My eye looks weird.”

  “Maybe to some, but not to us. It’s a testament of your strength, courage, and honor. You’d make an excellent superhero. I may have to turn you into one in a future book.”

  “I h-have a hard time remembering things.”

  “So you’ve said. You’re right. A superhero won’t do. An absentminded dragon shifter, perhaps?”

  He huffed a breath. I placed a finger over his lips when he opened his mouth.

  “Before you list yet another reason why I shouldn’t want you, you should know I will have a counterargument for each one. Cat shifters are extremely stubborn. We like to get our way and won’t give up until we do. You may as well give in and accept your fate.”

  “I-Is this what I have to look forward to? Decades of you g-getting your way?”

  “Yes.” I fought to keep my expression blank, but inside Cat and I celebrate. I did a mental fist pump. Cat jumped and rolled around. We won. We couldn’t believe it. We actually fucking won the best prize of all time. Our mate.

  “I-I do want you. I j-just don’t want you to be stuck w-with me.”

  “Not stuck. Blessed.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. He hesitated for a moment then returned my hug.

  “Are you p-purring?”

  Was I? Huh, I hadn’t noticed. “My cat is happy.”

  “I can’t w-wait to see what that feels like when you’re wrapped around my c-cock.”

  Hello! Yes, please.” I leaned back and looked at him. “Now?” I flashed him a wicked grin.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Isn’t that what the last fifteen minutes of my life―that I will never get back by the way―was about? That was you I was trying to convince that we were meant to be together, correct? Or is this part of the memory problem you spoke of earlier?”

  “You are such a b-brat.”

  “Did I forget to mention that?”

  “You did.” Beau sighed. “I s-suppose I can learn to live with it.”

  He stood, holding me against his chest. I latched onto him like a koala bear as he carried me to his bedroom. I would have been fine with the sofa, but I didn’t voice my opinion. My mate had a tender heart, and I instinctively knew he wanted to make this first time special in our bed. We entered the room. In an instant, I found myself beneath Beau as he pressed me to the mattress. My large mate unwrapped my arms from around his neck and stretched them over my head. I was pinned and felt completely helpless. What a fucking turn on.

  My heart beat erratically, not out of fear, but arousal and anticipation. It was finally going to happen. “You are so sexy,” I whispered, staring up at Beau.

  He grinned. “I t-think I’m starting to b-believe you actually mean it.”

  “I do. Never doubt it.”

  “Okay.” He nipped at my chin.

  I inhaled sharply. The tiny bite of pain caused a wave of desire so hot I felt it in my soul and it momentarily stole my breath. My cock stiffened to the point of pain. My hole twitched. I ached to feel Beau inside my body. I needed my mate to claim me more than I needed my next breath.

  “Beau,” I pleaded. His eyes snapped to mine and began to fill with lust. “Make us yours. Claim us.”

  Cat did a happy dance when Beau pushed away from the bed and tore off the jeans and shirt, he’d hastily thrown on earlier. He grabbed the lube. I stopped him when he picked up a condom. “The claim won’t be completed if you use one.”

  “I was tested for e-everything while I was in the hospital. Everything was neg-negative and I haven’t been with anyone s-since the accident.”

  “I’ve never been with anyone. Plus, I’m a shifter. I can’t contract communicable human diseases.”

  “You’re a v-v-virgin? S-shit. I don’t want to h-hurt you.”

  “You won’t. You were made for us. Now get that look off your face. We were just getting to the good stuff.” I wagged my eyebrows.

  He stared down at me. His expression still a bit troubled. “If I do a-anything you don’t like, tell me. If I n-need to slow down, t-tell me. If you like what I’m doing―”

  “Tell you?”

  “Brat.”

  “Perhaps you should do something that will give me an incentive to behave,” I suggested, coyly.

  The low, needy growl I heard come from Beau made me feel giddy. My cat channeled his happiness as well.

  “I love hearing you purr. I w-wonder what else will elicit that wonderful s-sound. Let me see…”

  Beau leaned down and nibbled on my left nipple. The sensation caused by his mouth on me went straight to my balls. “Fuckety fuck.”

  He chuckled against my skin. “You like that, angel?”

  “Your mouth is wonderful.”

  “There is more where that c-came from.” He placed a kiss on my sternum then worked his way down, kissing and nipping at my flesh. He stopped at my belly button and moved back up my body. I protested at his change in course.

  “Look at me.” His growling demand made my cat sit up and take notice. Beau’s possessive tone was sexy as fuck. My inner beast couldn’t help but obey. I looked into his eyes. They were almost feral with need. The need to claim. Beau may be human, but he was all alpha. He looked as if he wanted to eat me alive. I couldn’t wait.

  I jolted in surprise and groaned when his slick finger rimmed my asshole. I’d been so caught up I hadn’t realized he opened the lube. Then, there was a slight pressure before Beau’s finger entered me. Once his finger was fully embed
ded, Beau stopped giving me time to adjust. At my nod, he pulled out and thrust it back in again. I cried out when he added a second finger. I felt so full now I couldn’t imagine how much fuller I would feel once it was Beau’s dick. He was much bigger than two fingers.

  “I’m going to make you m-mine now, Colby Dyer.”

  “Yes.”

  His lubed fingers pushed in and out of my ass. He added a third finger. I hissed at the sudden burn, but it quickly morphed into pleasure. I needed more.

  “You like that, angel?”

  “I would be better if you quit playing around and claim us already.”

  Chapter 8

  beau

  “Bossy b-brat. I need to stretch you a little more. I’m not p-porn star big, but I’m not small either.”

  “Porn star big?”

  “You know what I m-mean.” I pegged his prostate which stopped his bratty mouth on the spot. Not that I was complaining. I loved Colby’s sass and quick wit.

  My mind was still trying to catch up to the extreme change in my life over last twelve hours or so. I went from a recluse to having a mate who was a cat shifter no less. I may be a stubborn man, but I wasn’t stupid. The universe for whatever reason decided to gift me with my very own angel. I wouldn’t deny him or turn him away. I still wasn’t sure I was what he deserved. I wanted him. I wanted the promises I saw in his eyes. I chose to be alone, but I didn’t enjoy it. I was lonely, and I didn’t want that to be my life any longer. I didn’t want it to be Colby’s either.

  “More, Beau,” Colby begged. He gripped his thighs just behind his knees and pulled his legs to his chest, giving me more room to work. He was so amazing. He looked so damned beautiful begging shamelessly.

  I was reaching the end of my control as much as he was. I added a fourth finger and fucked him for a few more moments until I felt for sure I wouldn’t hurt my mate.

  “I swear to all that is holy in this world, if you don’t get your cock in my ass in the next ten seconds Beau Madigan, I am going to come.”

  I chuckled. Colby narrowed his eyes and glared at me. He groaned in protest when I pulled my fingers away. I smacked his hip and cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t get m-mad. I’m only doing what you asked.”